Posted on 11/03/2013 5:45:11 PM PST by Mamzelle
Edited on 11/03/2013 5:52:21 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
DALLAS — When the executive director of former President George W. Bush’s public policy institute decided to move on recently, he stopped by for an exit interview. Mr. Bush asked if he had anything in particular he wanted to talk about.
Nothing specific, said James K. Glassman, the departing director.
“O.K.,” Mr. Bush replied, “I want to talk about painting.”
After early self-portraits in the shower and then dozens of paintings of dogs and cats, Mr. Bush, it seems, has now moved on to world leaders. He told Mr. Glassman that he wanted to produce portraits of 19 foreign presidents and prime ministers he worked with during his time in the White House.
Nearly five years after leaving office, the nation’s 43rd president lives a life of self-imposed exile in Texas, more interested in painting than politics, recovering from a heart scare, privately worried about the rise of the Tea Party, golfing with fervor, bicycling with wounded veterans and enjoying a modest revival in public opinion. While Bill Clinton criticizes Republicans on the campaign trail and Dick Cheney chastises the current administration on his book tour, Mr. Bush resolutely stays out of the public debate.
snip
He was the best of choice. A placeholder President. Glad we had him in office for 9/11. But ultimately damaging to the party and the American people with out of control spending, “compassionate conservatism”, big government rinoism. He greased the skids for where we are today. I’m sure he did his best, but we needed someone better.
Ironically, the folks who are of the Tea Party persuasion were probably his most vocal supporters against the incessant attacks of the left. We defended him when he wouldn't defend himself.
Moreover, GWB makes the same mistake that so many others in the GOP-e make: Conflating the Tea Party movement with the isolationist Ron Paul and his Libertarian coterie.
He should know better than to ignore the hand that fed him.
A truly disappointing article. But, then, coming from the New York Times, it is intended to be.
Thank you.
Purity tests? You mean like being different from the democrats in ways beyond having a “R” next to their name?
Every once in a while I have nagging feelings about who and what was really behind 9/11. I try to resist that, but things have went downhill since then. We have a police state on the rise, communism, open borders.
Something ain’t right.
The GOPe in bed with the dems and hating on normal Americans.
Bush was a NAU and NWO guy just like his daddy. Bush family acts like they are royalty and do not seem to mind a thing Obama does.
Iraq and Afghanistan both a waste of precious blood and treasure. Bush ushered in Obama and even helped him.
Time for a free America is running out.
That is also when Bush's numbers started to tank and never went back up. That was when his conservative base stopped supporting him. I guess even ole humble and lovable GW can hold a grudge.
What is a moderate anyway? So if I settle for "reasonable" restrictions on the 2nd Amendment, being "pro-choice", and settling for "amnesty" for "undocumented workers," I too won't get called a mean-old right-wing heathen and get invites to the cool cocktail parties?
Sorry bub, but there are timeless principles worth dying for. If that makes me purer than Ivory Soap, so be it.
I amend the last sentence of my commentary. I cannot ask a man to be more than he is when I have never been tested as we was. I thank him for his service.
Yep. When Joe LIEberman had the gall to support the WOT, he was ran out on the rails by the Democrat Stalinists. Nevermind that on all the rest of the issues he was still a socialist.
I liked him
It could be as simple as that.
After the 2006 election, GWB gave off vibes of total defeat and capitualation to the Leftist horde.
Saving your ass whether you like it or not
Nothing else happened on his watch
you forget so soon
I loved W. He was a hell of a President. Y’all got it wrong
what if it makes you a tool of the obamites and the MSM?
No, W was a great President. He had a great sense of our country, he invoked Jesus Christ in his acceptance speech and he had a great personality.
He was a man, not some weirdo.
If it wasn’t so sad, it’d be funny. Next election, the “true” conservatives will tear each other apart over their preferred candidates, some milquetoast will get the nomination and lose in the general, and the “true” conservatives will try to find someone else to blame rather than themselves. I’ve been watching it for years.
As a person he is a nice guy, but IMO he was misguided on several issues.
He got a couple of things 100% right and a few 100% wrong like a Democrat.
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